Post Tagged with: "Bacon"

A few nights ago, I was in the mood for some new recipes, especially since my family and I were hosting guests. After a bit of searching, I stumbled upon an article for making a Three Course Tuscan Dinner and decided to try my hand at the appetizer and main course. Since I’m not a huge fan of bacon, I did a few of these without bacon, just with the pastry wrap, which I think was equally delicious. If you’re looking for a fresh recipe to try with some asparagus, I highly recommend this one. You won’t be disappointed!

Last week, I was seriously jonesing to make some new recipes. And since my wife and I love to have “small plates” dinners every so often, I took the opportunity to jazz things up and make all new recipes for the meal, complete with a menu I printed up (because I’m a design geek like that). The menu for the evening included:

While at the grocery store a few weeks ago, I picked up the September issue of Cooking Light magazine, being intrigued by the cover photo of “One-Pan Broccoli-Bacon Mac ‘n’ Cheese”. Knowing that my wife loves mac and cheese (and bacon), I knew I had to give the recipe a try. I modified the recipe a bit to suit my needs — most notably leaving the bacon off of my serving (since I’m vegetarian). Also, I used vegetable stock rather than chicken stock, and opted to use whole-grain shells rather than macaroni, because let’s be honest… macaroni is such a cliché pasta.

To say that I was pleased with the end result would be an understatement. Both my wife and I immediately fell in love with this dish, despite both of us being tentative about how the inclusion of butternut squash puree would play out. But in the end, I’d definitely make this recipe again. It was a fantastic, warm, and flavorful comfort food, perfect for a chilly September football Saturday dinner after watching our University of Michigan Wolverines win their home opener against Oregon State. And it was yet another great addition to my 50 in 15 Challenge.

If you’re looking for a slightly lighter and healthier homemade “mac” and cheese recipe, give this one a shot. You’ll be glad you did!

My wife shared a video for breakfast bread bowls with me the other day, and I knew I had to try them immediately. I’m not entirely sure of the source of the video, as it was posted and re-posted on Facebook by many people. Be that as it may, these savory bowls are pretty easy to make, and are very flexible when it comes to fillings. Be forewarned: These bowls are dangerously delicious. You will want to make them again and again!

The other night, my wife and I were in the mood for some “grown-up” grilled cheese sandwiches — something more than just cheese in the sandwiches. So I looked at what I had on hand, and made a pretty simple set of savory grilled cheese sandwiches made on mini focaccia rolls I had bought from my local Nino Salvaggio market. Being as I’m in the midst of Meat Free May, I made my sandwich vegetarian, but I added some bacon for my wife’s sandwich so it was more like a B.L.T. with delicious melted cheese. Meat or not, these little sammies proved to be delightfully tasty, and were an instant hit with both my wife and I. And since it was technically a new(ish) recipe, I am taking the liberty of adding it to my 50 in 15 Challenge.